The Magellan Charter School 2005-2009 Technology Plan

To read about our goals and strategies for the next four years click here.

The Vision

Students at The Magellan Charter School, through regular use of technology, will develop lifelong learning skills that incorporate technology. Students will use technology as an effective tool for accessing information, understanding the world around them, and communicating with that world. Magellan teachers and staff will continually develop innovative uses of technology to enhance the learning environment and efficiently manage the school.

The Mission

By integrating technology into the curriculum and using it as a primary instructional tool, students at The Magellan Charter School will be able to:

• Access, download, and manipulate information from the Internet and CD-ROMs.
• Create spreadsheets and associated graphics.
• Master word processing skills.
• Create and use a database.
• Access information through long distance learning and telecommunications.
• Understand the practicality and ethics of computer use.

By facilitating the student use of technology as a tool, teachers will be able to:

• Tailor instructional strategies to meet varied learning styles and levels.
• Accurately and efficiently assess, monitor, and communicate student progress.
• Continually improve professional skills through on-going technology training.

By leveraging the investment in technology infrastructure, administrators will be able to:

• Integrate technology into procedures to increase the productivity of teachers and staff.
• Provide timely and easy access to information for instructional and administrative decision making.
• Provide proper support, training, and maintenance services to achieve technology goals.

Instructional Initiatives For Technology

The Magellan Charter School has established instructional initiatives for technology for grades four through eight. Based on the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, these instructional initiatives support a process-oriented curriculum and enhance the school’s dedication to learning through "interactive, hands-on, inquiry-based, problem solving experiences".

Technology (4th and 5th)

Magellan’s focus for the fourth and fifth grades centers on an integrated language arts/social studies program and an integrated mathematics/science program. These grades are grounded in concrete, hands-on experiences that are significantly enhanced by technology opportunities. Since Magellan does not house a traditional school library, students are encouraged to seek information through PCs, using a variety of CD-ROM resources (encyclopedias, atlases, dictionaries) and the vast Internet resources. Fourth-grade students have insight into North Carolina geography through the Internet. They also access NASA’s Internet sites to conduct research on the solar system.  They explore animals via National Geographic CD-ROM. Fifth graders use the Internet to recreate the Mayflower journey by researching the passengers. Fifth graders also learn the fundamentals of spreadsheet applications along with graphing and charting the spreadsheet data. Students not only gain knowledge on their core subjects; they also learn other skills such as keyboarding, Internet security, and basic computer terminology. This knowledge is a basic building block that will carry them throughout their educational journey and into the twenty-first century. In addition to PC technology, the teachers incorporate overhead projectors, VCRs, video cameras, and digital projectors into their repertoire of teaching tools.

Technology (6th - 8th)

Computer skills are easily incorporated into these four subject areas. A PC network supports each classroom with at least two PCs for the sixteen students, a printer, and educational software designed to enhance learning in these subject areas. Students are required to access this educational software and the Internet for class projects. Examples of some of these projects include publishing, spreadsheets, and associated charts and graphs. Classes have researched Greek architecture and Greek culture, national authors’ lives, mathematicians’ accomplishments, whale watching, the American Civil War, and Africa.  To ensure that all eighth graders receive adequate preparation for the North Carolina Computer Skills Test, Magellan has developed a computer skills program. This program focuses on enhancing the students’ knowledge of word processing, database, spreadsheet, multi-media presentations, and graphics. Students are also instructed on the ethics of computer use.  As a part of their integrated language arts/social studies curriculum, eighth-grade students utilize PowerPoint to produce multimedia presentations. Technology is not simply found in PCs and the Internet. Students use laser video discs, pH probes, scientific calculators, VCRs, video cameras, digital cameras, and overhead projectors to enhance their learning. Technology has been successfully integrated into the curriculum at Magellan and into the daily lives of its students and staff. We have made great progress, and we continue to look for new ways to utilize technology that will benefit the educational experiences of our students. Technology is an ever-evolving process. We embrace this fact and continually seek new ways to make state-of-the-art technology a primary component of Magellan’s curriculum.

Computer Hardware/Capabilities

Because of our commitment to technology, Magellan has acquired the following:

• High-speed Internet access for all lab and classroom computers. 
• A Windows 2000/2003 domain/mail/web server, along with Cisco routers and switches which allow all the computers in the building to be networked together to share printers and other resources. 
• Workstations and teacher laptops running Windows XP operating system. 
• E-mail access for every teacher and staff member. 
• An extensive software library complete with Office 2003, CD-ROM encyclopedias, simulations, games, tutorials, and many instructional programs.  

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